Floods May Help Malibu Secure Aid

Could it be that one man’s disaster is another’s good fortune?

With all respect to those who suffered through the recent torrent of rain and mud, Malibu Public Works Director John P. Clement says that the “gully whomper” of a storm was a “godsend.”

It seems the massive flooding at Las Flores Creek, which partially washed away Cosentino’s flower shop at Las Flores Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway, was the proof the city needs to convince the federal government to fund local flood control projects. Estimated costs to clean up and make repairs from the storm are $4 million, Clement said.

After the 1993 fires and subsequent floods, Malibu came up with a $21 million remediation project aimed at averting flooding and landslides in Las Flores Canyon, Las Flores Creek and other areas. Part of the plan calls for rechanneling the Las Flores Creek basin and enlarging the bridge at Pacific Coast Highway--at a cost of about $350,000.

But funding for the plan has not been approved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is analyzing the plan along with data on flooding and landslides in the area. And as that examination continues, Clement says, the recent flooding at Las Flores Creek will make it easier for the city to prove its case and win funding.

“Someone called (the storm) an environmental cleansing,” he said. “We are trying to accept some kind of responsibility for living on the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. That’s why we are trying to make improvements.”

*

QUICK, GET ME BIKE PATROL: Bad guys, beware. This cop has a 10-speed and he’s not afraid to use it.

Yes, you guessed it, just when it seemed like TV had exhausted the list of cop-based action shows comes word of two “Baywatch” spinoffs:

“Beverly Hills Beach Club” and “Santa Monica Bike Patrol.”

The shows, with separate producers, are being targeted for syndication and cable markets.

Alan Mruvka, one of “Bike Patrol’s” executive producers, is not coy about the inspiration for his series, which is under consideration for USA Network’s cable TV schedule.

“We were thinking about other ‘Baywatch’-type shows that would showcase the beach community and wanted to combine it with more action than ‘Baywatch,’ ” Mruvka said.

Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, of course, have been the setting for numerous TV shows over the years--”The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Beverly Hills, 90210” and the Santa Monica-based 1970s medical drama “Marcus Welby, M.D.”

But before Santa Monicans get excited--or angry--about their city becoming home to another series, consider this: Mruvka says production issues could force a title change on “Santa Monica Bike Patrol.”

Other names under consideration: “San Diego Bike Patrol” or “California Bike Patrol.”

*

BURIED LOOT: Los Angeles and Santa Monica have decided to avoid the courts and instead split a $50,000 booty discovered two years ago by Los Angeles Police Department divers off the Santa Monica Pier.

The cash, found wrapped in newspaper, was recovered during an underwater search for a murder weapon in October, 1992. Believing the money might be linked to some crime in Santa Monica, the department turned over the bundle to Santa Monica police.

But a month later, Los Angeles police asked that the money be returned because no one claimed it. And when Santa Monica ignored the request, Los Angeles began legal proceedings to recover the money.

Last week, however, the Los Angeles City Council decided that the cost of suing Santa Monica would be prohibitive and opted for the split.